Venue Detail
Wichita Thunder
Revenues From Sports Venues Pro Facilities Report
January, 2010
Wichita Thunder
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300 S Sycamore Wichita, KS 67213 Phone: 316-264-4625 Fax: 316-264-3037 URL: www.wichitathunder.com Owner: Horn Chen League: Central Hockey League Northern Conference, Northwest Division
Venue
Intrust Bank Arena, 500 E. Waterman, Wichita, KS 67202 Owner: Sedgwick County Managed by: SMG Facility Management Built: 2010 Capacity: 15,000 Concessionaire: Savor Suite caterer: Savor Soft drink: Pepsi Cola
Naming rights
Sold to: Intrust Bank Price: $8, 750,000 Term: 25 years Expires: 2033
Ticket prices
Season tickets range from $256 to $408 Single tickets range from $8.50 to $16.50 2007 average attendance: 6,239 2008 average attendance: 5,949 2009 average attendance: 5,457
Luxury Suites
Quantity: 22 Price: $37,500 to $37,500 Seats: 12 to 12
Club seats
Quantity: 192 Price: $1,100 to $1,100
Sedgwick County Commissioners approved a $14.5 million package granting naming rights to the arena and some of its component parts to Intrust, Cessna Aircraft and Spirit AeroSystems. The new Venue will be called the Intrust Bank Arena as part of the 25-year deal.
Intrust will hang its name on the building as a whole. The exterior plaza will be named for Cessna and the interior concourse will carry the Spirit brand.
Under the deal, Intrust will pay $8.75 million: $7 million for the naming rights for 25 years, plus $1.75 million for rights to a luxury suite and tickets to all arena events. Spirit and Cessna will each pay $3 million for naming rights for 20 years, with an option for a five-year extension. Their deals also include luxury suite and ticket rights.
Also, the deal with Intrust, Cessna and Spirit guarantees a 20- to 25-year revenue stream from the concourse and plaza, while other arenas have had to settle for short-term advertising deals that are not as stable, he added.
The county signed a five-year deal with management firm SMG to run the arena.
Under the deal, SMG gets the first $450,000 of annual profit after recovering money for any prior losses. The county would receive the next $450,000 in profit after being reimbursed for any capital expenses exceeding $250,000.
After that, the county would receive 60 percent and SMG would receive 40 percent of any remaining profit.
SMG also will be reimbursed for startup costs before the arena opens. SMG will absorb any operating losses.
The contract can be extended for an additional five years by mutual agreement; it will be renewed automatically if the county receives more than $1.7 million in the first five years.
SMG will receive $200,000 to be paid in monthly installments to cover pre-opening services from May 2007 to Sept. 30, 2009, such as consulting and developing marketing plans.
The county will reimburse SMG about $1.5 million for expenses for staffing, advertising and marketing, food and beverage start-up costs, relocation, corporate travel and other pre-opening service costs. If the arena opening is delayed, SMG will receive an $8,000 monthly fee starting Oct. 1, 2009.
The deal lets SMG manage the Kansas Coliseum for five years beginning Jan. 1, 2009. Coliseum employees will have an option to become SMG employees. The company will receive 5 percent of gross revenue from the Kansas Coliseum, estimated at about $25,000 annually. The county will retain net operating profits but would be responsible for any net operating losses.
The county projects a $700,000 overall loss this year for the Kansas Coliseum.
Prices for four-seat loge boxes $5,500 a year. Six- and eight-seat boxes cost $8,000 and $10,000 a year, respectively. They require a minimum three-year contract. (Facilities, Financial, Ice Hockey, Professional Sports, Venue)